Maturity At Its Finest
by lisbonandjanealways
Summary: Jess was no gold digger. She knew what she wanted, and it wasn't Nick Miller's not-so-raging success. It was Nick Miller himself. (No copyright infringement intended)


**WARNING: **Major spoilers for _Quick Hardening Caulk._

**Disclaimer: **Not mine.

The second time she slammed her door, she pressed her back against it and slid to the ground. Her heart was still violently pounding against her chest and her lips were hot and swollen from his mouth. Her hands shook with adrenaline and desire. _How _did he do this to her?!

_Then prove it._

Those three little words haunted her for the next half hour as she sat on her bedroom floor, sorting out her thoughts. The way he said it, in that sexy, low voice of his, was enough to make her heart skip about three beats. And then there were his lips – she couldn't even begin to describe them and the magic that came along with them.

So much for trying to get things back to normal. If the first kiss hadn't completely spoiled their friendship, _tonight's _kisses had. That first kiss, when she was still with Sam, had been experimental. A test-run to let off some steam and the built-up passion between them; it had almost been _sweet. _But tonight was different. They had almost had _sex, _for crying out loud. If it hadn't been for their injuries and Schmidt's damn aquarium, they probably would have gone all the way.

_This piggy ran around to different markets but he didn't know…_

Of course the metaphor was ridiculous. But the meaning wasn't. _He didn't know. _What the hell was that supposed to mean? That if he'd known that she had been fantasizing about him he wouldn't have hooked up with Shane and God knows who else? It shouldn't matter to her – to either of them, really – but it did.

Because Cece was right. She did _like _Nick.

Jess was no gold digger. She knew what she wanted, and it wasn't Nick Miller's not-so-raging success. It was Nick Miller himself.

After approximately forty-five minutes of processing the previous events, she finally stood up. She was just making her way to her closet when a knock came at her door.

Her heart slammed against her chest.

"Jess?" his voice murmured through the door.

She sighed and leaned against it. "Jess isn't here right now," she replied in a small voice. "Please leave a message."

She half-expected him to barge in anyway, but instead he played along. "Okay," he said in an even softer voice than she used. "Will you please ask Jessica," he began, "if she would be willing to speak with me?" His voice was childlike and endearing. "And tell her that I promise there will be no shouting, sarcasm, or… anything else but a mature, serious conversation."

Jess smiled a bit at that and finally turned the knob and when she opened the door, she almost jumped in surprise. His eyes were bright and wide and probably the most sincere she'd ever seen them. He smiled shyly and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Can I come in?" he asked, like a shy little boy.

She swallowed. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"I plan to keep my promise. We won't do anything other than talk." He paused, and then carefully added, "If you don't want to."

"What is there to talk about, Nick?"

"There is plenty to talk about, Jessica."

"You mean how our friendship is thoroughly destroyed?" Her voice cracked as she spoke and she rolled her eyes at herself.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and moved her aside. Before she could protest, he was in the room and shutting the door behind him. He led her to the bed and sat her down. Jess could tell that he was contemplating whether or not he should sit next to her but he clearly decided against it. Instead, he knelt in front of her and looked up into her eyes. "Jess, I've thought a lot about this."

"Me too."

"Not just tonight," he explained. "I've thought a lot about this, since you moved in."

Her breath caught and she averted her eyes. His warm hands encircled her tiny wrists, a silent plea for her to look at him.

"I've wanted this," his eyes flickered to the bed when he said it, "for quite some time," he confessed. "Probably since I first met you, hence the no-nail oath."

"We really don't need to discuss this–"

"Shut up." His tone was serious and she instantly clamped her mouth shut. "What we have," he went on, "is some form of messed up, delusional friendship." He was still kneeling in front of her, hands curled around her wrists. "But let's just be honest here, Jess, it's _always _been more than just a friendship, ever since the very beginning."

She remained silent, processing his speech.

"I'm not trying to sell you on anything," he assured her. "I'm not trying to convince you to sleep with me. I'm just here because I have been worried about the same thing that you're in here worrying about. I really have thought about this, _a lot, _and I have come to the conclusion that maybe this isn't the end of something, but the beginning."

She nodded. "It makes sense," she said. "But what is _this, _Nick?" She searched his eyes for the answer. They seemed as confused as she felt. "We kissed a few times. What does that make us? Friends with benefits? Friends who can't look each other in the eye anymore? _Fluffers_?"

Nick covered his face with one hand for a brief moment before dropping it to his side. "What do you want this to be, Jess?"

She lowered her eyes to the ground. "You know me," she muttered. "I can't keep doing – whatever it is we're doing – and stay _just friends._"

"Then we don't have to stay just friends."

"You would date me just so you could have sex with me?" She meant for her tone to come off as mocking, but in reality, she was actually hurt. "That's pretty low, Miller, even for you."

His eyes widened and he started shaking his head. "Oh, God. Jess, no!" He grabbed her hands and stood up, forcing her up with him. He placed a hand on each of her arms so that she wouldn't fidget. "That isn't what I'm trying to say. Damn it, I'm awful at this."

"Awful at what?" Jess asked cautiously.

He swallowed nervously. "Making declarations."

"Declarations…"

"Jess, I don't want to be just friends," he blurted. "I don't want to kiss you one night and watch you go on a date with someone else the next. I _hate _seeing you with anyone else. I don't want our relationship to be exclusively friendship, but I don't want it to be strictly physical either." He sighed. "Sorry, I'm not very good at this," he apologized.

_That's okay, _she wanted to say, _because I am freaking speechless._

"Jess, there was a part of me that became responsible overnight for you, not just for the boss." He scoffed. "Let's be real, she really doesn't mean anything to me. But you do. And you don't… you're just… not interested in guys like me. And why would you be?"

Her jaw dropped but before she could scold him for being so mean about himself, he kept going. "You deserve someone like… Sam, for example, or Russell. They're successful, stable men who treat you right. I guess that's why I want to become a better man. For you."

Her mouth was still hanging open when he was finished and he chuckled. "That was a very choppy declaration," he noted.

She still didn't say anything.

Nick cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh, Jess, I just poured my heart in the most awkward way possible. Could you maybe give me some feedback or–"

Her mouth was pressed against his in an instant. She wound her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his mussed hair. His lips tensed against hers at first but immediately responded and he pulled her closer. She still couldn't get over how perfectly their lips moved together, how connected they seemed.

She broke away. "Sam and Russell were good guys but they weren't you." When he looked away, she reached up with her hand, grasped his chin, and forced him to look at her. "There wasn't the honesty, the laughter, the…_ passion _that I have with you. Are you listening to me, Nick? Don't you dare compare yourself to them. Okay?"

His lips twitched into a little half-smile. "Okay."

She kissed him again, brief yet sweet and passionate. "Who knew that Nick Miller was capable of expressing feelings?"

"I know, it's weird. I'm still recovering."

Jess laughed. "So a few months ago, you were my boyfriend without the rewards," she said slowly. "But now that you basically have the rewards you want…" She trailed off.

"Yes, I want to be the boyfriend." He tightened his arms around her waist possessively.

She smiled. "I think I can live with that."

He grinned back. "Good." Nick kissed her lips, then her forehead. "So, my first act of becoming a more responsible man…"

She swallowed. "Yes?"

He chuckled darkly and leaned to whisper in her ear. "Cleaning up that damn aquarium."

**THE END**

_I enjoy writing stories like these. Fluffy, romantic, fun. And I especially love these two characters. I love them! I want them to confess some form of actual feelings for each other so badly.__  
_

_In the third to last paragraph, Nick kissed Jess' forehead. Can you imagine if he did that on the show? I'd die._

_Anyway, I'm done rambling. I would really appreciate reviews!_


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